Following up on the previous post, NCSoft Europe and ArenaNet have officially announced Eye of the North, the expansion pack to Guild Wars, as well as a full sequel. Guild Wars 2 will draw from the game mechanics of its predecessor and will add a fully persistent world. Like the original, it will not require a subscription fee to play. No release date was mentioned, though the development team hopes the game to go into beta sometime in the second half of 2008.

Eye of the North, due to hit stores during Q3 2007, will require at least one of the previous Guild Wars campaigns to play. It will be set in the dungeons and caverns of the lands of Tyria that players first explored in Guild Wars Prophecies. It will feature 18 large, multi-level dungeons, 150 new skills, 10 new heroes, 40 new armor sets and even more items. Below are the first screenshots from the add-on.

First up is the good news: the PS3 is the top-selling home console in the UK, having sold more than 165,000 units within the first two days after launch. The record is held by the PSP which sold 185,000 units at launch. The PS3 also beat out the launches of both the Wii and Xbox 360, which sold 105,000 units and 70,000 units respectively.

Now, the bad news: it has been revealed that the PlayStation Store may not be available worldwide. As this thread on the official PlayStation forums signifies, users from countries such as Saudi Arabia, Israel, Greece, Turkey, Cyprus and the Czech Republic are unable to access the PlayStation Store, thus barring them from downloading additional content or PSP-enabled PlayStation games, among other things.

Gamesindustry.biz has more on this from the SCEE corporate communications director. He confirmed that some territories do not have access to the store, but that the store will expand its reach in “due course.” However, some countries, such as Azerbaijan, may never gain access to the PlayStation Store.

This post on Jeff Green’s 1UP blog discloses that the next issue of Games for Windows magazine will reveal Company of Heroes II, which will be their actual cover story, rather than Peggles.

Anyway, start looking for our new issue soon. It’s not really a Peggle cover. It’s one of those “exclusive” stories—this time about the followup to Relic’s awesome Company of Heroes. Guess what? We get to kill more Nazis again!! Yay!

Electronic Arts has announced that it has partnered with Nettwerk One Music to form a new music label called Artwerk. The Artwerk label will sign and develop both new and established artists for publishing, master recording and sync deals, as well as digital and physical distribution.

It has already announced its first signed producer artist - Junkie XL, whose tracks have recently appeared in NFS: Carbon and Madden NFL 07. “Both EA and Nettwerk are artist friendly, progressive thinking companies who embrace and don’t fear the future,” said Junkie XL. “I feel understood as an artist and at ease with the people from both companies, which is most important to me.”

The label is currently in negotiations with several other artists; individuals can also submit music to Artwerk for consideration.

The most shocking news of last week by Capcom sent shockwaves into the PlayStation fan base. As expected, many people revolted against Devil May Cry 4 going multiplatform on Xbox 360 and PC, besides PS3, and set up an internet petition threatening to boycott the company’s games. We all know just how effective these petitions are, but the most amusing thing is that it has raked in over 10,000 signatures at the time of this writing, most of which are actually tongue-in-cheek jabs at the more earnest undersigned.

Following up on the petition, this complaint thread on the Capcom forums was opened, eliciting an official response from the company. “We are certainly moved that people are so passionate about our products that they would go to such extremes,” said Christian Svensson, senior strategic planning and research director at Capcom. “At the same time we feel that allowing more people access to our content pleases far more people than it displeases (after all, we’re not denying DMC4 to anyone that was already going to get it). It really is the best decision for the company and for consumers.”

The thread has since been closed, with an amusing, yet startling observation by Svensson. “It seems to have run its course, gone off course, rolled down a cliff, hit a cow and then exploded.”

Koei has revealed its lineup for this year, which includes Bladestorm, Fatal Inertia and Dynasty Warriors on the DS. Below is the full release schedule:

• Shin Megami Tensai: Devil Summoner - Raidou Kuzunoha vs The Soulless Army - PlayStation2 - April 27
  
• G1 Jockey Wii - Wii - June
  
• Dynasty Warriors: Fighters Battle DS - DS - Q3 2007
  
• Orochi Warriors (Final title to be confirmed) - PlayStation2 & Xbox 360 - October
  
• Bladestorm: The Hundred Years War - PlayStation3 & Xbox 360 - Q3 2007
  
• Prey The Stars - DS - Q3 2007
  
• Fatal Inertia - PlayStation3 & Xbox 360 - Q3 2007

Sega has announced that it plans on adding three titles from its Genesis library to the Wii Virtual Console service. Virtua Fighter 2, Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle, and Wonder Boy in Monster World will soon be available from the online service for 800 Wii points each.

Virtua Fighter 2 - Virtua Fighter was the first 3D fighting game in the industry and introduced eight unique characters, each with their own martial arts style. In Virtua Fighter 2, the intrepid fighters return to the World Fighting Tournament. Take to the stage to see who will claim the championship title; will it be Lau Chan, Kage Maru, Wolf Hawkfield, Jeffry McWild, Akira Yuki, Jacky Bryant, Sarah Bryant and Pai Chan.

Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle - This classic title features Alex Kidd! Alex had given up hope that his kidnapped father, King Thor, would return to the kingdom on Planet Aries. When the news arrived that he was very much alive and being held captive on the planet Paperock, Alex raced to his rescue. Throughout 11 levels, players will battle enemies and avoid obstacles while winning coins that will buy you special items and vehicles. At the end of each level, players will encounter a boss and enter into a match of “Paper, Scissors, Rock.” Throw the right symbols and you’ll be ever closer to bringing King Thor home; throw the wrong symbols and you’ll be squashed beneath a heavy weight.

Wonder Boy in Monster World - Monster World was a peaceful, happy place until one dark day when an army of BioMeka monsters invaded. Playing as a young man named Shion, gamers vow to defeat the hostile foes and make the land peaceful again. Attack enemies with swords and spears and guard against incoming projectiles with shields and armor. Travel through the many different regions of Monster World and talk to the townspeople, collect money to buy items, and gather a large variety of weapons and magic. As players progress, the weapons and equipment become more powerful, including suits of armor and boots.

In the shortest press release I have ever seen, Grey Dog Software announced World of Mixed Martial Arts, their upcoming sports management simulation. Developer Adam Ryland, author of TEW2007 and Wrestling Spirit Lines, will be heading up the project.

No other information was disclosed, though they did ask everyone to stop by their forums.

Pre-order details for Enemy Territory: Quake Wars have been announced, as well as word on a Limited Collector’s Edition, by id Software and Activision.

When: Pre-orders start on March 26th at Gamestop and on April 12th at Best Buy.

Why:
By reserving a copy of Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars in advance, fans can secure their preferred username, receive special edition collector’s cards, as well as an exclusive poster.

More Details:

• Advance Username Registration: Get an exclusive keycode to reserve your preferred username now.
  
• Collector’s Cards: Receive the first 2 cards in a set of 12, each featuring a different Strogg or GDF vehicle or deployable with game facts and tips. The remaining 10 cards will only be available in the Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars Limited Collector’s Edition (see below).
  
• Poster: There are two posters in all, with each retail location offering one exclusive poster each.

About the Limited Collector’s Edition:
Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars Limited Collector’s Edition features premium packaging with a slipcase, as well as ten collector’s cards, available only through the Limited Collector’s Edition offer. In addition to the premium packaging and collectible cards, fans will receive a bonus DVD, complete with concept art and other cool stuff for Enemy Territory: Quake Wars’ biggest fans.

Courtesy of EA, of course. EA Montreal is working on Boogie, an unique music/rhythm-based game, for the Wii that will make use of the console’s controllers to get gamers off their couch and dance around shamelessly in the comfort of their own homes.

Boogie will let players dance, sign and star in their own music videos. Players will be able to choose and customize between different characters in the game to best show off their skills in dancing and karaoke. The game does not have a definite release date, though it is expected later this year.

Here are the first five screenshots:

New content for the Xbox 360 version of Marvel: Ultimate Alliance is on its way: Raven Software has announced that players of the game will soon be able to purchase additional Heroes and Villains via Xbox Live Marketplace. The packs will add the Incredible Hulk, Cyclops, Nightcrawler, Venom, Magneto and Sabretooth as playable characters; players will also get access to new achievements.

Both the Hero and Villain packs will be available next month for 500 Microsoft points each; a combined pack will sell for 800 points.

As this Steam Forums thread points out, the latest issue of PC Action has some new details about TeamFortress 2, which has been translated by Halflife2.net, where they have details on maps, classes and gameplay. Here’s the scoop:

• There won’t be “normal” grenades anymore. Valve thinks that they unify the different classes too much.

• Unlike in Fortress Forever, teleporters are kept in Team Fortress 2. The ammo dispenser will make a comeback as well.
• There will be a personalized statistics system. For example, you could see an in-game message like “Hey, you’ve never played your class as well as today - keep it up!”
• Valve thinks that classes in other games are a joke. “Where’s the difference between me choosing a M16 or an AK-47 rifle?”, asks Robin Walker.
• It would be technically feasible to let owners of a PC, XBOX 360 and PS3 play against each other. Whether this feature makes it into the final game is still uncertain and depends on Sony and Microsoft.
• Valve received very few threatening letters because of TF2’s comic design.
• Owners of multicore processors will get additional, undisclosed, graphics details.

Flagship Studios, the guys behind the upcoming highly anticipated action-RPG Hellgate: London, and Ping0 have jointly announced Mythos. Already in alpha testing, Mythos will be a free MMORPG that is being worked on by Flagship Seattle, a subsidiary of Flagship Studios, and will be availably only via digital download.

“For Mythos, we started with the revolutionary style of gameplay we pioneered in the Diablo franchise. Then, by offering it free to download and play, we make it even more accessible to players. By designing the Mythos world from the ground-up to be an ever-changing place, we can quickly and seamlessly implement new ideas from a variety of inspirations,” said Phil Shenk, Creative Director of Mythos and founding member of Flagship Studios, “Through the continued support of the Flagship community, we are striving to create what will be one of the most innovative role-playing games of recent years.”

Mythos is an online, action role-playing game that is free to download and free to play. Set in the land of Uld - a fantasy world arising from the ashes of an epoch-long war of darkness - players assume the roles of fantasy heroes as they explore, adventure, and quest through entirely randomized dungeons and environments. With an elegant point-and-click interface and an accessible “isometric” perspective, Mythos is poised to have near-universal appeal. The game allows thousands of players to interact within the same world while using mostly “Instanced” dungeons to create unique gaming experiences suited for both solo and group-minded players.

As players journey into Mythos’ ever-expanding universe, they select one of three races (Human, Elves, or Gremlins) and opt to play as a particular character class using a huge variety of skills and items. Through heroic quests players search for gold, gems, armor, and weapons, while unlocking the secrets of Uld. Mythos presents a constantly expanding, continuously updated world where something new lurks around every corner.

Mythos’ online technology and services will eventually form the multiplayer component of Hellgate: London. The MMORPG will be available later this year. Further information and screenshots can be found on the game’s website.

EA has announced that they will hold art exhibitions based on its popular The Sims franchise. Dubbed In the Hands of Artists, the exhibition will be open to students from Parsons The New School of Design in New York, Academy of Art University in San Fransisco and Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles; students from these institutions will be able to submit pieces of Sims-based artwork in various categories. A total of $12,000 prize money will be awarded at each school’s showing.

The categories for submissions include machinima, animated films of 1-5 minutes created by the movie-making tools included in the game; paintings, illustrations, sculptural work, cinematography, art designs, and many other art forms. Those who enter in the machinima category will be provided complimentary copies of the game.

Art submissions will be judged by representatives from the schools and EA on the basis of narrative or expressive content, technical ability, originality and other factors. Two prizes will be given out to each school: a $2500 first prize and $1500 second prize. The machinima category will be judged on the pre-mentioned factors; there will be three prizes per school: a $5000 first prize, $2000 second prize and a $1000 third prize.

Entries from the Parsons The New School for Design will be on display at the Chelsea Art Museum in New York on April 19 through May 12. Submissions from the Academy of Art University will be shown at 79 Gallery in San Fransisco starting June 26 through July 19; works from the students of Otis College of Art and Design will be shown at Ben Matlz in Los Angeles from July 14 to August 11.

Registration for the closed multiplayer beta for Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 is near. Ubi sent word that sign-ups will begin next month for the PC version of the game, which is scheduled for release this June. Here’s the scoop:

In the closed multiplayer beta gamers can get their first taste of the map CALAVERA, a map created exclusively for Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 PC.

The new Recon vs. Assault mode will have players fight their way through this Mexican village near the US border. As a member of the elite Ghost squad, gamers will need to use all of their know-how and expertise to stay hidden and sneak through small winding roads to locate and engage the enemy. As a Mexican rebel, players must be prepared to engage the Ghosts, using high calibre fire power, and must stop them at all cost.

The return of Team Deathmatch will challenge players and their friends to fight in battles where everything is possible; explore, engage and terminate.